Shades of the Past
by Ellrohir
Summary: The plot of this story divided into three parts tooks place in about two years after the events mentioned in The Last Stand movie. It shows what will happen with cured mutants after the two years...


_**X-MEN: Shades of the Past**_

_**Early summer, not too distant future…**_

**Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, ****Salem Center, NY - Dawn**

The sun was slowly rising above the eastern horizon. The aurora visible above the trees was covered in wonderful white, red, purple and pink color mix. Wolverine stood on the gallery of the School and was observing the scenery with regular cigar in his hand.   
"A bit early to be up, isn't it?"  
Shifted his head round and saw Storm standing in the open doors. He turned back to the daybreak.  
"I can't sleep anymore."  
"So do I." Whispered Storm while she slips past him and went upon the balustrade next to him.  
"Crimson dawn." She spot.  
Wolverine nodded, still looking into rising sun.  
"Something is gonna happen out there."

**Sunrise at Golden Gate Park****, San Francisco, CA - Morning**

**Women's heels clacked on the hallway's floor.**

**"Good morning, doctor Howles." Lateral black keeper in the white cloak greeted her. She didn't even look at him, continued her way. She didn't stop till she reached the massive oak doors on the end of the hallway with the label "**Eric Lehnsherr". She entered without knocking.

The old man with the white hair sat opposite the doors gazing from the window over the park on the rebuild Golden Gate. He seemed he didn't even hear her coming. Whatever can he think about right now? She wasn't really interested in. She hawked trying to attract his attention. Successfully.

Mr. Lehnsherr didn't face round. He just raise his hand with set up point finger covered in black leather glove as ordinary, though outside were highly 80 degrees.

"Doctor Lisa Howles." He said neutrally. "I don't have to look at my watch to know that it is quarter past nine and I don't have to see the calendar to know today is Monday. Punctual as always."

Women staying in the doorjamb grinned balefully.

"But!" Greybeard's point finger rose. "Something is different today, isn't it?"

She raised her eyebrow with surprise.

"Oh yes." He confirmed without he spin around. "It's your eyes."

Her eyes glowed yellow for a blink.

"What's wrong with them?" She asked.

"I'm sure you know well." Mr. Lehnsherr smiled under his beard. "Mrs. Howles…or should I rather say: 'Mystique'?!"

Doctor's face turned into stone in the flash. Mystique started to metamorphose into her real form immediately. It took her only tenths of seconds to change from the Dr. Lisa Howles into a blue-skinned entity with orange-red hairs and yellow eyes. She pulled out knife from the bag she carried and with berserk anger she fell upon Magneto – the damned traitor who turned to dust everything she ever believed in into a couple of those dread seconds on the floor of the truck two years ago.

But this seemed-to-be-powerless senile eld was well prepared. He turned on his rolling chair with astonishing speed and pulled his hand in black glove towards attacking mutant.

The knife flew up from her hand and turned in the air with the edge pointing right on Mystique's neck. She stopped her indigested attack at once and subconsciously began slowly retreating. The knife pursed her till her back was shoved in wall. Magneto, with the right arm still drawn in front, followed her and stood in front of her with all his quondam majesty.

Mystique's breath was fast and affected with comprehensible fear for her life, but her eyes was cold and full of hate as she looked deep into Magneto's sharp face.

"Humans." He broke the tight silence. "Humans and their relish for cold metal tools…Or weapons? You really must have been one of them for too long."

The tip of the knife slowly danced a dance of death around Mystique's nape prevent her to do anything.

"Oh yes. I knew you will come."

He made a denying gesture to stop her as she tried to say something.

"Since I have found my power restoring again, I am awaiting this moment…"

"But how did you…?"

"Recognized you?" He smiled. "Not only power over metal returned to me. I have now new abilities I never even dreamed before. I now feel…things around me. I knew you are coming even before you opened the hallway doors. Enough time to get prepared."

It was silence again for a short while.

"Tell me, why are you there, Mystique?" He asked suddenly.

"I am here." Mystique sizzled. "To kill you."

"Nah!" He denied. "That's not the true reason. You want to make me pay. You want to see me dying in the pain. That will be your revenge for broken life. But why?!"

The knife pressed her skin on her neck and Mystique vainly tried to bend aside somewhere. Magneto continued.

"Am I really the one you should be crossed with? Did I shoot you with the poison sting? Did I develop the 'cure'?"

"You have left me broken on the floor when I needed you the most. I have lost everything – power…friends…faith…hope... I have lost myself."

"So you have helped our sworn enemies and so I ended up in here." Dropped Magneto a hint. "Two years between pack of senile old dunces. Unable to take care about themselves, unable to move, unable to think! And I was considered to be one of them!"

He turned mad while he was saying that. It appeared to Mystique it got dark in the room. Everything made from metal in the room left its positions and started to circle in the whirl around Magneto's head. His hairs swept, his face turned into ghostlike mask and his eye-whites went black with white shining irises. Even his voice was now much deeper and ominous and Mystique saw him now looking like a dark prophet of entire destruction. Suddenly he calmed down again and everything returned in order except the knife on her neck.

"Do we really have to end it up this way, Mystique?" He asked gently but urgently. "Have one of us died in this room?"

While he spoke, he unloosed his concentration on the knife for a short while. And Mystique was on the watch-out as at all times and was immediately able to make the best of this Magneto's mistake. Since she knew she is currently unable to kill him, she decided to retreat and pass her luck elsewhere in the future.

"None of us will die here today." She sneered.

Then she quickly blew into Magneto's unprepared face. A strange cloud of dense darkness dashed out of her mouth covered his eyes making him totally blind. Surprised Magneto gave a cry and raised both his hands to his eyes trying to wipe the substance out of them. The no more controlled knife fell down and Mystique got free.

"Not only you gained new powers, you treacherous bastard!" She whispered into his ear while she slipped past him.

She didn't hesitate for a second and jumped through the window into the garden and got away from there.

"Mr. Lehnsherr? Are you ok?" The keeper from the hallway alarmed with the noise of the breaking glass knocked on the door.

Magneto, still blinded by the Mystique's sudden strike, quickly agreed. "Everything is in order." He claimed. "I've just dropped a glass."

"Should I call a maid?" The keeper was pursuant.

"No I will handle it. Thanks. I'm not any jerky, you know?" Magneto started to be impatient.

"I never said you are, Mr. Lehnsherr. Alright then. If you will change your mind, just call me."

"Be sure I will. Thank you." Finally the keeper left.

The doors of the bathroom opened with silent clap.

"Didn't I say so?" Pyro asked, solicitously gazing at his master. "What the hell she did to you?"

Magneto finally found his chair by touch and he slowly sat down. He quickly blinked several times and waved his hand in front of his face. Than he started to pull his hand near and away from his eyes.

"Finally I have seen something again." He declared after a while. "She has some ability to cause blindness. I didn't expect it and I have undervalued her. I was fool!" He thudded into the stretcher.

"Come on." Pyro uttered freshly. "She is Mystique. It's her nature to escape from everywhere."

Magneto can't help himself, he had to laughter.

"She's still not ready, that's all."

Magneto looked upward at his young fellow.

"Now I need you to follow her. Found her, contact her and get her in again. Then take her to our base. I'll soon leave this hollow and will be awaiting you there."

"Why not to go immediately?" Pyro wanted to know. "Why you still stay in this damned sty? It is infra dig for someone like you…"

Magneto put his hand onto Pyro's shoulder and looked friendly into his eyes.

"Patience." He said warmly. "Patience is a valuable attribute. I have been learning to be patient for whole life. I won't loose everything again because of impatience. You see?"

He point through the broken window over the garden on the black car staying alone on the street.

"They have started to suspect something. They definitely know now that their 'cure' isn't permanent… My time will come, but not today. Not yet."

He saw Pyro off to the room doors.

"See you again soon, nephew." Magneto said goodbye loudly to the keeper can hear it well.

"Bye, uncle." Replied Pyro and hugged his 'relative'. Than left he through the hallway of the San Francisco retirement castle. The keeper took care about him showed him the way out.

"See you soon." Magneto repeated quietly, while they were leaving through the main entrance. "Very soon…"

**Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, ****Salem Center, NY – Dusk (after a couple of days)**

"…The Public is asking how is possible, how can single retiree outfoxed whole public safety department. Here in the studio with me is Captain Marcus Dalloway from the SFPD. Good evening, Captain. Our watchers will be definitely interested if the protective elements really did everything possible to prevent that."

Wolverine entered the social room. Couple of School's students was watching the evening news.

"What's the matter?" He wanted to know.

"Magneto disappeared." Kitty Explained. "He went on his regular walk in the park followed by government agents as usual but he suddenly faded back. No one knows how."

Wolverine got stiffed and his face became very embarrassed. He fell back on door-case and quietly and carefully listened to the interview.

"You have to realize." Captain Dalloway was speaking in the TV News studio. "What the kind of opponent Eric Lehnsherr is. Though he lost his power, he still has his genial brain. We never thought he will settle to calm the life of pensioner and today he showed we were right."

"Ok." The moderator nodded. "But many people should now feel alarmed that the kind of thread as former Magneto isn't under any supervision anymore."

"I can assure them there is no need to be worried. Since Mr. Lehnsherr lost his power two years ago, he isn't more dangerous than the bully who can ambush you on the street, even less, because he is just weak old man."

"You are saying that." The moderator didn't want to give up. "But there are rumors saying that youngster named St.John Allerdyce was spotted hanging around the Sunrise retirement homes. I think you will know him under his nickname – Pyro."

"We don't have any information like that…"

"He is lying." One student observed. "They know well."

Wolverine had a look at him. Chris Towers, sixteen years old. Known as the Polygraph. Special ability: Particular telepathy – he is able to find if the truth is said just from looking onto the facial expression…

"Who is lying?" Storm, who just entered, asked. Wolverine just beckoned in the direction of the TV.

"There is a study which was made public recently." The moderator continued striking. "That the cure of the mutant gene developed by Worthington Labs doesn't have everlasting effect, but it will vanish without re-application in the period of time depended of the ancestral mutant gene. And Magneto belonged to one of the strongest mutants ever…"

The police officer just laughed. "We had been watched Mr. Lehnsherr every day for the whole two years period. And we have never marked any single sign that his power may be returning. I know that so-called science study well. And according to the official statement of the government, I have to reject all conclusions made in it. This work isn't based on truth."

Wolverine questioningly looked at Chris.

"Polygraph?"

"Truth." He replied seriously. "This one came from his heart."

"Storm? What are you thinking about?" Wolverine seemed really interested in that.

She just shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't read the work yet. You should ask Hank – he is through things like this. Or maybe you should have a talk with Rogue."

"That's great idea." He exclaimed. "Is she in her room?"

"I think so." Storm certified.

"Alright, then I will be there if you will need me."

Wolverine took his way via staircase into the first floor and headed to Rogue's ward. But as he got closer, his ears captured some noise coming from the room. Sounds that a courting couple is making while in bed…

"Oh." He immediately presumed what it means. "Not the best time for the chat."

He made an about-face at once and headed back. But as he stood upon the first step, the loud terrified girl's scream caught him up.

"BOBBY!!!"

Bobby Drake lied in the bed waiting for Marie coming from the bath room. He felt a bit tired. He noticed that feeling often past few days when he was with her. It must be some kind of sickness. How dull to catch flu now in the middle of hot summer…

Finally she arrived. In that sweet night shirt he presented her last Christmas she looked even more beautiful. She locked the doors and came right to him. He hugged her as she lied down next to him. As he touched her hand he again felt that feeling of sudden weakness. He shook it away from his head and looked deep into Marie's astonishing eyes. She dimpled, pulled herself over him and cast down to kiss him.

But right as their lips joined together something horrific happened. Rogue's seemed-to-be-subdued power suddenly reappeared with all its power. Booby went bug-eyed trying to escape from her inadvertently preying all his life power. But he can't resist and in the next blink he fainted.

Rogue immediately awake something is wrong and drew herself off Bobby. But it was actually too late. She can't do anything but screaming.

By two jumps he was in front of her doors. He took the door-handle, but it was locked.

"Rogue!" He shouted and knocked loudly. "Rogue, let me in!"

But the only answer was her panic screaming.

Wolverine was actually considering whether to charge and pack the whole doors off or just to use talons to cut out the lock. But there was already Shadowcat beside him. She got through the doors and in the next second she opened them from inside.

He ran into room as a vortex. Storm already followed his heels and the rest of the School alarmed by the scream rolled up on the hallway wondering what had happened. Rogue was standing in the distant corner of the room, shuddered and gazing at the motionless Iceman on the bed. He actually looked very bad. His skin turned gray and his blue veins were protruded making his face looking fearful. Storm rushed to him to take care about him while Wolverine came to meet Rogue.

"Do not try to draw on me." She exclaimed desperately and pulled her hand against him. "It is back."

"Rogue." Wolverine tried to speak calm and still. "Come on. Calm down. We will help you."

He made several steps towards her.

"NO!" She roared and moved her hand ahead to stop him.

From her finger tips erupted blue rays of energy punched Wolverine as a hammer and threw him off the opposite wall. Thunder-stroked Rogue frantically stared at his hand while she subsided on the floor where she started to cry.

Wolverine slowly stood up again shaking up his head with the crackle. He only dropped one word :

"Damn."


End file.
